These announcements include activities, grants and other projects Buddy is either participating in or offering to Indiana's learning community.
The following schools received the WHEE grant:
According to the April 8, 2008, edition of eSchool News,
“Educators are largely missing out on what could be a huge opportunity to capitalize on their students’ appetite for electronic games and simulations to teach them about core curriculum topics, results from a new national survey suggest.” 1
They are referring to the Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up Survey 2, which gathers the opinions and viewpoints of teachers, students, parents, and administrators on issues related to technology use in education. This year’s results show a vast difference in the attitudes of students in grades K-12 compared to their teachers, parents, and school administrators. For 50% of the students polled, adding gaming to classroom activities is a priority, but less than 20% of any other group had this priority listed. Why the large gap? Perhaps it is the perception that gaming is simply that – playing games, and there has not yet been the meaningful, content-related connection made with educators.
Introduction: The Corporation for Educational Technology (CET) develops and facilitates leading edge learning projects in K-12 school communities to increase student achievement using technology in anytime, anywhere settings. One of the roles of CET and The Buddy Project is to create, support, and fund initiatives that involve creativity and technology integration that improve student learning engagement and achievement.
The Whee! Buddy Grant Opportunity: The Corporation for Educational Technology announces the recipients of a mini-grant to support student success in the areas of physical education, social education, or academic achievement. Included in this grant are a Wii™ console, multiple hand-held controllers, a variety of educational games for the system, and one day of training for project teachers (to be held at the Buddy Teaching & Learning Center in Indianapolis). The awarded Wii system3 is the property of the school and is to be used exclusively for implementation of the proposed educational plan for one year.4 A cash grant to support sub, stipend and travel for the project teachers to attend training was awarded.
As a recipient of the grant:
Want to learn more about the Wii Gaming System? Go to http://www.nintendo.com/wii
Visit our BTLC Partner Web Site!
The Buddy Teaching and Learning Center site, www.btlc.org, is the place to find and register for quality professional development and technology training opportunities offered by the team of Buddy facilitators who are all experienced Indiana teachers and administrators.
